Methods for separating constituents of biologic liquid mixtures

ABSTRACT

A combination grinder and container, including a lid or cover, with a fixed spot provided for holding a grinder, and making the grinder unmovable. The container saves space and time, since it is very easy to take the grinder out of the container and use it elsewhere.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.13/400,016, filed Feb. 17, 2012, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/010,763, filed Jan. 20, 2011, both of which areincorporated by reference in their entirety.

This application also incorporates by reference the concurrently filedand commonly owned U.S. application entitled “Herb Grinder”(VIOLI-90073) by the same inventors.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates generally to containers, and more particularlyhas reference to a daily-use container specifically adapted for holdingground material.

There are many different containers currently in use to store nuts,cookies, tobacco and other foods and goods. When those materials need tobe chopped or shredded into fine pieces, a food processor or grater isoften required. However, it is not convenient to need a grinder to grindthose materials and then need a separate place to store the chopped orshredded materials.

Thus, a need exists for a new kind of container which solves the issuesdescribed above. The present invention fulfills those needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, and in general terms, the present invention relates to a newtype of container with a body and a lid, including a fixed spot to holda grinder firmly in place on either the body or lid. The containerpreferably has the shape of a box or jar. The lid allows the containerto act as a storage receptacle for storing shredded material which hasbeen ground.

The grinder is preferably in the form of a flat sheet or card which canbe inserted into a sliding slot integrated into the container unit, orplaced in a recess in the container body where it is held in place byflanges or threads which provide a gripping function. Alternatively,magnets can be provided to ensure that the grinder is magneticallyattached to the container.

In a preferred form, the grinder is a sheet with a plurality of groovesor notches formed on the sheet to provide a grinding area. The groovescan come in a variety of different configurations, including rectangles,squares, circles, ovals, and polygons, or strips featuring aligned orstaggered arrangements of grooves. The sheet can be provided with aplurality of through holes distributed in the grooves and/or on thesurface of the sheet.

When made in accordance with the present invention, the containerprovides a combination grinder and storage unit, where the storage unithas a fixed spot for holding the grinder. The combination of the grinderwith a container provides added flexibility of use and convenience forthe user.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will becomemore apparent from the following detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way ofexample, the features of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a box embodying novel featuresof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the container shown in FIG. 1, takensubstantially along the line 1-1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a jar-like container embodyingnovel features of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lid shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the lid shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a grinder useful with the containersshown in FIGS. 1 and 3;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 7-7 inFIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an alternative grinder useful with thecontainers shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, theinvention is embodied in a container in the form of a box comprised of abody 1 and a lid 4. In accordance with the present invention, the boxincludes an insert or inner body 2 which has a fixed spot for holding agrinder 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the insert 2 is in the form ofa tray with storage compartments. A recess is provided in the tray atopone of the storage compartments for receiving the grinder. The recesspreferably conforms in shape to the shape of the grinder, so that therecess will hold the grinder immovable once the grinder is placed intothe recess. Threads or grooves 21 provided around the recess function tohold the grinder 3 in place within the recess. A user can either takethe grinder 3 out of the recess and use it elsewhere, or directly usethe grinder 3 in the body 1. This adds flexibility and convenience.

If desired, the insert 21 can be provided with an access opening (notshown) on the side of the insert for removing ground bits from acompartment within without removing the grinder from the insert. This isespecially useful when the grinder is permanently affixed in place. Theinsert 41 can be removable from the box 1 or it can be non-removable orpermanently affixed in place within the box 1.

FIGS. 3 through 5 show an alternative embodiment in the form of ajar-like container shaped like a rectangular tube with rounded corners.This tube has two parts: a body la and a lid 4 a. Within the lid 4 a,there is a protruding edge 41 on a removable rubber gasket or seal whichfits onto a mounting flange protruding from the lid, as best shown inFIGS. 4 and 5. The end of the flange on the lid 4 a and the protrudingedge 41 on the gasket combine to form a sliding slot 42 therebetween tohold a grinder card within the lid 4 a. With this arrangement, the lid 4a can be used as an alternative container for storing ground material.Alternatively, the gasket and sliding slot 42 can be placed on the bodyla, which then function as both the grinder holder and a storagecontainer for ground material.

In lieu of the sliding slot 42, the lid or body can be provided withmagnets which attract and hold a metal grinder in place on the lid orbody.

In each of the embodiments described above, once the grinder has beenattached to the container or lid, the resulting assembly can be used asa single unit. Once the grinder is attached to the container or lid, itwill stay in place and allow grinding directly into the associatedcontainer or lid. That container or lid also acts as a storagereceptacle for the shredded bits. After grinding, the shreds can beremoved from the container very easily, when desired.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the preferred grinder 3 is flat. The shape isrectangular and is approximately the size of a credit card. Thepreferred grinder comprises a sheet 3 with a grooved area 31, the sheetand grooved area combining to form a grinding region. The sidewalls ofthe grooves 31 can be used as a grinding edge to cut and grind all kindsof materials. It is much safer to use because the grinder does notrequire any cutting blades on the surface that could cut a user'sfingers during use. FIG. 7 shows the grinder card in section in order toillustrate more clearly the difference between the grooves and thesurface of the grinder.

FIG. 8 shows an alternative grinder. When compared to the previousembodiment shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that the grooved areas 31 aon the grinder are square in shape and are distributed with alternatingspaces in a checkerboard pattern. A plurality of through holes 32 aredistributed in both the grooves and on the surface of the sheet in thespaces between the grooves. Compared with the previous embodiment, thegrinding resistance is much less, and this results in a smoother andmore delicate grind. In order to better illustrate the differencebetween the grooves and the surface of the sheet, the grooves have beenillustrated with a hatching pattern in FIG. 8 to distinguish between thegrooves and the adjacent spaces between the grooves on the sheet.

The through holes 32 distributed in the grooves 31 a and on the surfaceof the sheet 3 perform an additional grinding and cutting function. Thisadds an additional cutting edge to the grinder and it makes it even moreefficient than the previous embodiment. The holes also have the addedfeature of eliminating waste bits, and preventing waste accumulation inthe grooves 31 a which could adversely affect the grinding. A pluralityof through holes may be distributed both in the grooves and/or on thesurface of the sheet. The diameter of the through holes 32 can vary insize and spacing.

In addition to the rectangular and square shapes shown in FIGS. 6 and 8,respectively, the grooves can be formed in the shape of rings, ovals,hearts, or other polygonal shapes, and combinations thereof. They alsocan feature aligned and/or staggered arrangements of grooves.

The notches or grooves are preferably but not necessarily rectangular incross section with sidewalls that are preferably but not necessarilyperpendicular to the flat surface of the sheet. The angle between thesidewall and the flat surface of the sheet can be either acute orobtuse. When the angle is acute, the grinding edge protrudes more. Thecutting effect is enhanced, and the grinding effect is reduced. When theangle is obtuse, the cutting edge is blunt. The grinding effect isenhanced, while the cutting effect is reduced.

In all of the embodiments described above, the shape of the containercan be varied. It can be rectangular, square, circular, oval,cylindrical, polygonal or other shapes. The shape of the grinderpreferably conforms to the shape of the container or lid in which it isheld.

In all of the foregoing embodiments, the grinder can be made out ofplastic, metal, wood or glass, or combinations thereof. The thickness ofthe grinder sheet preferably varies between about 0.15 mm and 5 mm. Thedepth of the notches or grooves preferably is between about 0.005-2 mm.When the depth of the notch or groove is relatively small, it can grindto a more fine texture.

In all of the foregoing embodiments, there are many ways of forming thenotches or grooves. For example, the grooves can be formed using a CNCmachine, mold stamping, laser cutting, or water jetting to process thesheets. Another option is to use mask chemical corrosion which whenprocessing, causes the bottom of the notches or grooves to be corrodedand rough, which can enhance the grinding efficiency. The surface of thesheet itself can be either smooth or rough, as desired. The holes can beformed by stamping or punching or by any other suitable means.

The invention may be embodied in other forms without departure from thespirit and essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments describedtherefore are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive. Although the present invention has been described in termsof certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments that are apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is intended to bedefined only by reference to the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A container comprising a body and a lid and a fixed spotfor holding a grinder in place on the body or lid.
 2. The container ofclaim 1, comprising a sliding slot for holding the grinder so that thegrinder can be slid into place and will stay in place within thecontainer or lid.
 3. The container of claim 1, comprising threads orgrooves within the container to hold the grinder firmly in place.
 4. Thecontainer of claim 1, wherein the container functions as a storagereceptacle for storing shredded bits.
 5. The container of claim 1,further comprising a grinder with a sheet and groove pattern on thesurface of the sheet forming a grinding area.
 6. The container of claim5, wherein the groove pattern is selected from the group consisting ofrectangles, squares, circles, ovals, polygons and strips, featuringaligned or staggered arrangements of grooves.
 7. The container of claim5, further comprising a plurality of through holes distributed in thegrooves and/or on the surface of the sheet.
 8. The container of claim 1,further comprising a storage compartment for storing shredded bits.